Scooter M.

I am an enthusiast — someone genuinely interested in this, not somebody with a qualification in it. That distinction matters enough to put at the top of the page, because most bylines in this category imply the second thing while meaning the first.

I have not personally tested the products in these roundups. No feeders on a test rack, no season of backyard trials, no photographs of a squirrel being defeated by something I mounted myself.

What I actually do for each piece:

• Read the manufacturer's own product listing and manual, and record what it publishes.
• Write down the capacities, dimensions, port counts, materials, mechanisms and warranty terms — and write “not published” when the maker does not say.
• Do the arithmetic the listings leave out: capacity against a realistic refill interval, baffle geometry against documented squirrel jump distances, cost per edible pound.
• Read what Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the American Bird Conservancy and the wildlife agencies publish, and turn it into a decision a beginner can act on without losing what the source said.
• Cite all of it, so you can check any of it.

What I will not write

• A credential I do not hold. I am not an ornithologist, a wildlife biologist, or a certified anything, and there is no expert panel behind this site.
• A testing claim, in any form. That includes the softened versions — “in our experience this one holds up well” is a testing claim wearing a cardigan.
• A number I cannot source. Where the published figures disagree, both go on the page.
• A recommendation shaped by commission. What each retailer pays does not enter the ranking, and the reasoning is published on the methodology page.

Why frame it this way

Because the alternative is not credible. The bylines this site competes against say things like “lifelong birder” and “years of hands-on experience,” and there is no way for you to check any of it. A published methodology you can reproduce is worth more than a claim you cannot falsify — and it is the one thing a new publisher can honestly offer.

Recent work

• Your first bird feeder, start to finish
• The best bird feeders for beginners
• The bird feeding starter kit
• Where to hang a bird feeder
• How to hang a bird feeder without a tree
• Feeding birds on a balcony or in a small space
• How to attract birds to a new feeder
• Keeping birds safe at your feeder

Corrections

If something here is wrong, I would rather know. info@seedandsprig.com, or the contact form. Corrections are read first and material ones are noted on the page with a date — see the editorial policy.